Kotaku: playstation phone

Nikkei: Sony To Build Gaming Phone

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 MDT

According to Japan's Nikkei business daily, Sony will next month begin the process of designing a "cellphone-game gear hybrid" which it's hoped will give Apple's iPhone a run for its money.

Apparently a "project team" will be set up next month to build an all-new device that combines the functionality of a Sony Ericsson mobile phone with a handheld gaming device.

In other words, a PlayStation Phone, in spirit if not in name.

Not the first time we've seen one of the these rumours, we know, but the specifics and the source make it by far the most plausible of the lot.

UPDATE - Contacted for comment, Sony said...they do not comment on rumour and speculation.

Sony eyes cellphone/game gear hybrid - Nikkei [Reuters]

Sony: A PlayStation Phone "Could Happen"

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:00:00 MDT

Yup. This again. As Sony's phone partnership with Ericsson runs up record losses, SE boss Hideki Komiyama has again raised the prospect of a PlayStation Phone.

Speaking with The Financial Times, Komiyama says that, as part of his recovery plan for Sony Ericsson (which is bleeding cash), a good idea would be to leverage Sony's brand recognition in the gaming market, and that a PlayStation phone built on SE's current Walkman and Cybershot handsets "could happen".

Hopefully that was just a mistranslation, and Komiyama really said "should never happen, ever".

Struggling handset maker needs to get smart - and fast [FT]

This Might Just Be The PlayStation Phone

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 MDT

Sorry. The "PlayStation Phone". Because it's a lot more phone than it is "PlayStation". Letdown. Pictured above is the Sony Ericsson F305 phone, first in their new "F" series of devices, due for release later this year. The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog - source for this info and the pics - believe the "F" stands for "fun", because the phone not only features motion-controlled gaming, but also boasts the familiar "O" and "X" buttons, as well as a PlayStation control pad icon, suggesting that gaming is going to be made a primary feature of the line. If this is as PlayStation phone as Sony are willing to go (and it probably is), it's a smart move - actually branding the thing a PlayStation Phone, and going all-out on the gaming side of things, may not have been the smartest thing to do to the brand.

Sony Ericsson F305 is for fun and games [USEB, via Gizmodo]

Sony Phones To Feature Motion-Sensitive Games

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:30:00 MDT

Yay, more Sony phone talk, and this time without even mentioning the word "PlayStation"! According to Pocket-Lint, Sony Ericsson have signed a deal with GestureTek, whose motion-sensing software powers stuff like the EyeToy. The deal will have a similar version of said software running on Sony Ericsson phones around September, and via the handset's cameras, will allow the phones to play motion-sensitive games. Two titles currently mooted to appear for the new capabilities are a Super Monkey Ball game and a Crash Bandicoot title (pictured). Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to increase the probability of a PlayStation Phone being announced later this year up a few percentage points.

Sony Ericsson to launch new gaming phone range [Pocket-Lint, via Gizmodo]

Sony's 2006 PlayStation Phone Patent

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:20:00 MST

Yeah, we're a little sick of the rumour merry-go-round on this one too, but it's OK. This one's not a rumour. It's a patent application, and those are much more exciting! This application's for a gaming phone, which Sony filed back in 2006. While it looks like a double-sided phone, it's actually packing an iPhone-like full-screen touchscreen, allowing the device to emulate the interface of both a Sony Ericsson phone and a PSP. Course, this has never actually turned up, and in the iPhone's wake probably never will, but sometimes it's nice to just close your eyes and imagine what could have been, you know?
ORIENTATION BASED MULTIPLE MODE MECHANICALLY VIBRATED TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY [USPTO, via Unwired View, via Pocketgamer]

N-Gage Aren't Scared Of The PlayStation Phone

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:20:00 MST

The last two N-Gages were a mess. And that's being kind. The third, a software platform that will feature across a number of Nokia handsets, is more promising, but still far from a proven concept. So are Nokia worried that Sony are looking more and more likely to enter the mobile gaming market and walk all over them? No. No they are not. Nokia games boss Jaakko Kaidesoja:

I'm not scared about anybody. The real question is how do they [Sony Ericsson] do it? Can they create a link between the PSP games and a phone? Can they do the multiplayer and online stuff? We've been doing this for two years and it hasn't been easy.

No, it hasn't been easy! Then again, maybe you just weren't doing it right...
N-Gage boss: 'We're not scared of the PlayStation phone' [Pocketgamer] [Pic]

The Best PSPhone Mock-Up We've Seen So Far

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:00:00 MST

Is a PlayStation phone in the works? Oh, absolutely. Or not. We've gone back and forth so many times with quotes from gabby Sony Computer Entertainment Europe execs that we're totally confused at this point. But the rumor that a PSP capable of making a phone call—that isn't via Skype—keeps popping up. Most recently, a blurb in Sony Magazine hinted that such a device was in the works, even pointing to a February release date. Good luck with that.

If a PSPhone does exist, this mock-up is one of the better ones we've seen. The scan, courtesy of NeoGAF member metalmurphy, is clearly labeled as fiction, with the article estimating that such a product has a 35% chance of coming to market. Pretty, yes, but maybe we're just distracted by the Millenium Falcon. A PlayStation Phone, while not a terrible idea, won't be replacing my iPhone any time soon.

Sony Ericsson PSPhone [NeoGAF]

Official Sony Mag Talks PSP Phone

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:30:00 MST

I know it, you know it, we all know that, at some stage down the line, Sony will release a PlayStation Phone. We've already heard talk that one was originally due in February, but that was just a whisper. We've already heard SCE exec Jim Ryan say the idea of one is "definitely plausible". Now this, this is from Sony's official magazine, which I'd wager is a little more credible:

A new PSP-style phone is apparently in development. There are even suggestions that it could be in shops as early as February.

Discount the February thing, as that's probably just citing the earlier rumours, but mentioning it's "apparently" in development? I wouldn't think the official magazine of the consumer electronics company in question would deal in "apparently".

Sony Magazine Says PSP Phone Could Come As Early As February? Really? [Gizmodo]